The Power of Will
by Astrael
Summary: The Knights find themselves in a ruined Cephiro without magic or each other. Now, they must save the land the are to protect and have only their Will to save them. Based on the events of the manga. Story re-post, chapter 1.


Magic Knight Rayearth, based on the events of the manga.  
  
PG-13 for violence and language...I suppose  
  
The Power of Will  
By Astrael 

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Tokyo Towers was strangely empty. The normal groups of students in their colorful school outfits and tourists snapping through rolls of film as the bustled through the halls and around the gift shop was gone. Instead there were a few scattered groups of people, staring down at the busy city around them, enjoying the rare solitude of this normally popular landmark. Not like the solitude was unwanted though.  
  
A girl with scarlet hair, braided back, stood a distance from the groups. She was twiddling with the knob on the side of the binoculars she was staring out of. Though she was clearly enjoying her activity, she seemed distant from the city she stared down into. A small twitch of her lip was the only smile noticeable. As her time ended with a click that echoed in the hallway, she pulled her face away, though her eyes, a deep maroon, where still focused on that same spot way out in the city.  
  
If one had been looking at her, they would have noticed the dark bags under her eyes. If one had known her, they would see that her skin was distinctly paler, even when not compared to the red tank top and lighter colored skirt she was wearing. If one had talked to her, they would have found her voice raw and sad. Indeed, Hikaru Shidou was a mess, and as she supported herself on the rail by the binoculars, someone who did know Hikaru appeared over the last fleet of stairs.  
  
"Hikaru!" Turning, Hikaru saw a tall slender girl in a pair of jeans and a blue blazer walking towards her.  
  
"Umi-chan. I thought I heard someone approaching" The ruby haired girls face split into a large smile.  
  
Umi beamed in return, brushing a strand of aqua hair out of her face, before sweeping it into the mass of lower-back length locks that fell down over her shoulders.  
  
"Is Fuu here yet?" Umi questioned, staring both ways down the corridor, her sapphire eyes sparkling in anticipation. Hikaru shook her head and looked at Umi, who stared back, her smile faltering suddenly.  
  
"Hikaru," She mumbled, walking closer to her friend, "You're a mess!" Taking Hikaru's hand, Umi led her to a nearby bench, and the two sat down. Hikaru sighed.  
  
"I was hoping you wouldn't notice..."  
  
"Only an idiot wouldn't!" Umi retorted, sounding slightly annoyed. "Look at you..." Her facial expression softened slightly, as she brushed a rouge strand of hair out of Hikaru's eyes, and clasped her friend's hand tighter in her own. "What's been troubling you?"  
  
"I just haven't been getting enough sleep," the other girl sighed, staring down at her hand, Umi's paler hand holding it firmly. "Weird nightmares, that's all." She sighed louder and continued when Umi said nothing.  
  
"It's just, I'm all alone on a barren field, and on the horizon in front of me there is a person, walking towards me. I know I must fight him, but I can't summon anything, and I don't have any weapons. I can't run away, and I can't fight, and I always wake up as alone as I was on that field." Hikaru looked up, expecting Umi to look amused or annoyed that Hikaru blamed her lack of sleep on such silly and childish things at nightmares. But instead, concerned indigo eyes met dull burgundy ones.  
  
"You don't think this has to do with Cephiro...do you?" Hikaru didn't answer, but just sat there frowning, and Umi smiled softly, and released Hikaru's hand from her own.  
  
"You look like everyone's forgotten today's your birthday Hikaru! Lighten up, for today at least. We'll talk to Clef about this after the party." Hikaru nodded.  
  
Today, she was turning 16, and they where going to celebrate it with all their friends in Cephiro, and even with Autozam, Chizeta, and Faran. Despite her worry about the nightmare that had been plaguing her for the past few weeks, she was excited for it. She forced a smile onto her face, and shone it towards Umi.  
  
"Alright Umi-chan. We'll have a great time in Cephiro today!" She then winked at Umi "If Fuu-chan ever gets here" At that moment, footsteps became audible and over the crest of the stairs came Fuu, panting as she carried a large picnic basket under her arm. Umi grinned at Fuu.  
  
"Well speak of the devil!" She chuckled.  
  
"I am so sorry about being late Minna-san" Fuu apologized, bowing low, causing her wavy blonde hair to fall down out of it's place, the billowy green dress she was wearing shifting as she moved "All of the elevators where in current use when I got here, and I was already late then and did not want you to leave without me, or to be any more late then we are now." Hikaru gave Fuu an honest smile.  
  
"We'd never leave for Cephiro without you Fuu-chan." Fuu blushed in embarrassment, focusing her emerald eyes on the floor.  
  
"Perhaps we should get going?" She suggested, as her breath returned. "We do not want to have a crowd around when we go to Cephiro." Hikaru and Umi nodded, and clasped hands, waiting for Fuu to balance the picnic basket on her arm before taking their outstretched hands into her own. Then all three girls bowed their heads, and with a whooshing noise, felt the world beneath them drop away, as a cool breeze whipped their hair around. For a moment they thought they could forget their troubles, but it was not so for suddenly, the breeze picked up, taking the girls by surprise.  
  
They tightened their grip, pleading silently that this wasn't their transportation to the world the loved and protected gone horribly wrong. The now violent wind blew against them, and Hikaru dared open her eyes. She saw that Umi and Fuu where both staring out at the landscape she too saw, but couldn't believe. They floated above charred forests, and rocky landscapes, and thick black smoke, smelling foully of burning flesh, rose to meet them. The girls held tighter still, hoping they wouldn't fall from their flight, because they weren't concentrating.  
  
The wind pushed against them, sounded like a high, cruel laugh, which sent shivers down their spines. As it twisted them violently, Hikaru's hip ground into Fuu's, causing both girls to cry out and Fuu to lose her grip on Umi's hand, the picnic basket on her arm falling away and its contents soaring to the ground.  
  
Suddenly, Hikaru screamed. Umi and Fuu turned to look at her; the scream seemed to be unprovoked. But suddenly, they felt something too. Like a fishing hook had hooked them in the chest and was pulling as hard as it could to free itself.  
  
"What's happening??" Umi moaned in pain, as her words where whisked away by the wind. Hikaru threw gripped both Umi's and Fuu's hands as hard as possible as she screamed and Fuu took her spare hand and placed in over the center on her chest as if trying to ease the throbbing that pulsed through her. But, in pain and dismay, the three watched through teary eyes as, with a final nauseating heave, three orbs of bright light where pulled from their chests, hovering in the air. One was red, one was blue and one was green.  
  
"Our...Magic," Fuu croaked in alarm, raising her hand and reaching out towards the balls of light. But before she could touch them, another gust of wind flew towards them and roughly tumbled them away from the spheres of light.  
  
Hikaru felt herself suddenly falling and tightened her grip on Umi and Fuu's hands, only to have her fingers close into a fist, and she realized they'd all been pulled apart. The distant screams of one another faded, until only the harsh cries of their own voices and the hiss of the wind filled their ears, and then came utter and terrifying black.

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Take 2, ne? Chapters will be re-posted as they are edited and so on. R&R is always loved. Also, sorry about the lack of tabs in the formatting, the web site wasn't really working with me when I uploaded this chapter -.- ;;


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